Hersey gymnast Nate Mabry wins three state titles

Nate Mabry couldn’t get away.

Every time the Hersey sophomore stepped down from the awards podium at the state meet, someone else requested a photo with him on the top step. The whole process took nearly 10 minutes as a steady stream of family, friends and fans posed with Mabry, who was beaming.

That’s what happens when you’ve just won a state championship.

Mabry became the third Hersey gymnast — and the first since Chris Waller in 1984 — to win the all-around state championship when he scored 56.2 points at Hoffman Estates on May 12. He beat Lake Park junior Karl Vachlin by 0.75.

“It feels so great,” Mabry said. “I have not been able to stop smiling since I saw the scores. I wanted it really bad. Ever since I lost by a tenth last year, it’s what I’ve been working for all year.”

Mabry burst onto the high school gymnastics scene as a freshman, when he finished second at the 2022 state meet. His 55.95 total was 0.10 behind Palatine’s John Pirone.

The near-miss fueled Mabry’s fire.

“Last year, when he finished second, he was not satisfied with that,” Hersey coach Joon Yun said. “He was already determined that he was going to come back and he’s going to come back stronger.

“During the offseason, he worked out at the club, and he did pick up new skills. He refined his routines a little bit more, so we knew going into this year he was going to be very strong, very good, and he stayed consistent throughout the year. It really paid off.”

Growth

Since his breakout rookie season at Hersey, Mabry’s skills have grown along with his body. He’s 6 inches taller at 5 feet, 10 inches. The dramatic increase in height was a challenge but not an insurmountable one.

“I think I benefited more than anything because you get bigger, stronger and have more power,” he said. “You can hold stuff longer. So the height is not a great thing for a gymnast, but getting bigger and stronger is definitely a plus.”

Gymnasts are always looking to add skills and difficulty to their routines, but Mabry’s improvement came mainly from better form.

“I definitely added a few things here and there, but I mostly just cleaned up the form, try to minimize stupid things and take what we get,” he said. “It definitely could be better, but I can’t complain.”

Indeed, unlike some of the other leading competitors, Mabry did not have a fall, completing all six routines without a major error. He began with a 9.2 on floor exercise and followed with a 9.15 on pommel horse, which was his lowest score but tied Mundelein junior Braeden Kratz for the highest mark on that apparatus.

Mabry then headed to still rings, where he recorded the top score of 9.5, and followed that with 9.3 on vault and 9.45 on parallel bars.

“Being consistent really helped him to stay focused,” Yun said. “He stayed much cleaner too.”

The consistency and focus were vital for Mabry, who came into the meet as the favorite after recording the top sectional score, 56.25, in the state. It was a much different scenario than the year before, when he wasn’t well known.

“That’s a lot of pressure,” Yun said of being the front-runner. “Going in, we knew that it was going to be a good battle between him and Karl from Lake Park, but throughout the meet he wasn’t really focused a whole lot on the scores. It was really about hitting his routines.

“Toward the end, that’s when we were starting to look at the scores a little bit more and trying to figure out where he’s at. Throughout the meet, he stayed focused.”

The meet ended for Mabry on high bar. He rocked his routine and stuck his dismount for a meet-high 9.6.

Yun raised both arms in triumph when Mabry landed and then exchanged a high-five with his star pupil.

“I told him before he goes up there on the high bar, he better stick it so all the crowd goes crazy over him,” Yun said. “And he definitely did that.”

The big crowd and the pressure didn’t faze Mabry.

“For sure, it was definitely more pressure,” he said. “I was a little shaky at the start just because I felt like I had something to lose, more than last year. But I think at the end, I locked in, got what needed to be done done.”

Ending any meet with a perfect landing is sweet, but when it comes at state, the exuberance cannot be matched, especially when it clinches the all-around title.

“It was still close at that point,” Mabry said. “But that landing, sticking high bar, there is no better feeling.”

A teammate’s success

Mabry wasn’t the only Hersey gymnast with something to feel good about. He was joined on the awards podium by freshman CJ Sayavongsa, who scored 52.3 points to finish fifth.

That’s just the second time Hersey has had two all-around medalists in the same year. The Huskies also did it in 1970, when Gary Morava won and Jeff Farris was fifth.

Mabry and Sayavongsa compete in club together at American Academy of Gymnastics, which is owned by Waller’s brother Kurt.

“CJ wasn’t really sure about coming out for high school gymnastics,” Yun said. “It took some convincing for him to come out. But I think since he started, he’s been enjoying it a lot, learning about what high school gymnastics is like, the camaraderie and the teamwork. He’s been really enjoying that.”

The highlight of Sayavongsa’s debut at state was a meet-best 9.7 on parallel bars. He also scored 9.15 on floor, 8.35 on pommel horse, 7.45 on rings, 9.2 on vault and 8.45 on high bar.

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“Going into the meet, he wasn’t really sure how he was going to do because the past couple meets he was a little inconsistent,” Yun said. “We talked about how we’ve just got to focus on the moment, think about what you’re supposed to do rather than worry about what’s going to happen, and he did really well today.”

Sayavongsa said he has been doing gymnastics since he was a toddler, but he had never performed in front of such a big crowd.

“It was good,” he said. “I was really nervous, though, throughout the whole entire meet.”

Sayavongsa said Mabry was a big reason he joined the Huskies and has been a major influence.

“He told me about how the meets go and how much more fun it is than club,” Sayavongsa said. “And I do think the meets are more fun than club.

“He motivates me a lot. Throughout the whole season, he has been talking about state and how big it is. He really helped me get confident and lots of motivation to do good.”

Mabry wouldn’t take all the credit for recruiting Sayavongsa but is glad he was successful.

“We knew with him here we’ve got a shot to win this thing,” Mabry said. “He’s very clean everywhere. He’s very technically sound, and he’s a hard worker. And he’s a lot of fun in practice, and it’s great having him around.”

Mabry and Sayavongsa led Hersey to third place in the team competition on May 13. It’s the first trophy for the Huskies since winning the 1984 championship.

The Huskies scored 155.25 points. Lake Park won the championship with 162.95, while Lyons was second with 156.2.

In addition to their all-around medals, Mabry and Sayavongsa carted off an impressive haul from the individual event finals.

Mabry qualified for all six event finals and earned medals in each. He won his first individual state titles on still rings (9.55) and vault (9.5), was second on pommel horse (9.25) and high bar (9.5), tied for fourth on floor (9.25) and tied for fifth on parallel bars (9.2).

Sayavongsa, meanwhile, qualified for four individual event finals and medaled in two, taking third on floor (9.3) and parallel bars (9.35).

Mabry has 10 state medals in his career, making him the most decorated gymnast in program history. Sayavongsa has three, tying him with Mabry for most medals by a freshman.

Yun is excited that he may have both stars on the team for the next two years, giving the Huskies hopes for a team title.

“I do think they have dreams,” Yun said. “Maybe they will come back next year, maybe not, depending on how the whole situation goes with the sport of gymnastics. But they got a taste of what it’s like, and I hope that they are thirsty for more and they want to come back and continue on.”

Both Mabry and Sayavongsa indicated they do wish to return, but it might be out of their hands. There is real concern that the Illinois High School Association may drop its sponsorship of the sport due to low participation numbers. Only 40 schools fielded full teams this season.

“We’re really hoping the IHSA keeps gymnastics around,” Mabry said. “Right now, they’ve got the sport set up to fail. It’s at the same time as club season, so you’re splitting all the boys who do gymnastics in half, and on top of that, high school state is the same weekend as club nationals.

“High school gymnasts have to pick between a chance of striving for college and nationals and supporting their school. That isn’t something you should have to decide.”

Perhaps a solution will be found — and Mabry and his fellow competitors can continue to put on a show.

“I think the simple adjustments and support for the sport can really keep it around for the next two years, and I would love to be here for it,” Mabry said.

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.